I have read that as well, and until now have given no credence to the rumour. Could this be the delay in BC's option being picked up or rejected?

Leiweke will most likely want to put a stamp on the franchise relatively soon, and if anyone can brin Jackson to Toronto it would be him. If so, what an incredibly fascinating off season this is going to be!

When does Colangelo's option have to be picked up by? Lieweke doesn't take over until June 30th, so it may be next season before any real changes are made. Also Phil Jackson has a friend Alex Mchenie in Toronto maybe he can persuade Phil to join here lol. From what Ive heard though Lieweke is known as one of the best at his position. Hopefully he makes some changes.

I have read that as well, and until now have given no credence to the rumour. Could this be the delay in BC's option being picked up or rejected?

Leiweke will most likely want to put a stamp on the franchise relatively soon, and if anyone can brin Jackson to Toronto it would be him. If so, what an incredibly fascinating off season this is going to be!

He's not CEO until June 30, so if BC were to get fired, which I kinda doubt at this point, he has 2 months to attempt to save his job...

Why would anyone assume this guy has connections to, and influence over Jackson?

He was working for a group whose primary sports ventures were in MLS and NHL....So clearly, this isn't a hire with a mind toward basketball. I imagine this guy played absolutely no role in the operations of the Lakers, tightly handled by the Buss family and their own management team. IMO, this is a hire geared toward TFC and the Leafs, so who knows if it can have a positive impact on the Raptors?

This more or less secures the fact that BC and Casey are not getting fired at the moment. I really doubt Leiweke would make such a franchise changing decision right off the bat in case it actually backfires on him. He'll probably give it one season and see how they do. If we start of the season with a shitty record, I see Leiweke firing Casey. And if BC can't make a good splash during the trade deadline, I see BC getting fired and Stefanski getting the intern GM job!

Why would anyone assume this guy has connections to, and influence over Jackson?

He was working for a group whose primary sports ventures were in MLS and NHL....So clearly, this isn't a hire with a mind toward basketball. I imagine this guy played absolutely no role in the operations of the Lakers, tightly handled by the Buss family and their own management team. IMO, this is a hire geared toward TFC and the Leafs, so who knows if it can have a positive impact on the Raptors?

It wasn't just Los Angeles. He also worked in Denver and Minnesota. He's not a no-name guy. He has a good track record in pretty well all sports.

Why would anyone assume this guy has connections to, and influence over Jackson?

He was working for a group whose primary sports ventures were in MLS and NHL....So clearly, this isn't a hire with a mind toward basketball. I imagine this guy played absolutely no role in the operations of the Lakers, tightly handled by the Buss family and their own management team. IMO, this is a hire geared toward TFC and the Leafs, so who knows if it can have a positive impact on the Raptors?

Previously he spent four seasons as President of the NBA's Denver Nuggets, where he also played a leading role in the development of the Pepsi Center. In 1988, Mr. Leiweke was the first employee hired by the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves, serving as Vice President of the team as well as handling naming rights, marketing and sales for all events at the Target Center, before moving to Denver in 1991.

Phil Jackson would be awesome to have as GM of the Toronto Raptors or as head coach, if he's the GM, he will most likely hire either Sam Cassell or Brian Shaw, we would love to see a triangle offense type of style for this team.

Jackson would make DeRozan instantly better, could be Heir Jordan or Heir Kobe as opposed to Heir VC.
Rudy Gay ain't no Scottie Pippen but he can be better scorer
Amir Johnson is no Horace Grant but he can be a better defender
Kyle Lowry is a lot better than John Paxon and BJ Armstrong
Jonas Valanciunas ain't Shaq but he can be a better scorer and hit the open jump shot
Bargnani will be traded along with T-Ross under Phil Jackson possibly for some key backup veterans

Phil Jackson would be awesome to have as GM of the Toronto Raptors or as head coach, if he's the GM, he will most likely hire either Sam Cassell or Brian Shaw, we would love to see a triangle offense type of style for this team.

Jackson would make DeRozan instantly better, could be Heir Jordan or Heir Kobe as opposed to Heir VC.
Rudy Gay ain't no Scottie Pippen but he can be better scorer
Amir Johnson is no Horace Grant but he can be a better defender
Kyle Lowry is a lot better than John Paxon and BJ Armstrong
Jonas Valanciunas ain't Shaq but he can be a better scorer and hit the open jump shot
Bargnani will be traded along with T-Ross under Phil Jackson possibly for some key backup veterans

But basically, since he started out with the LA Kings and been working under AEG, has he worked in basketball at all? He's just a suit. AEG's scope goes way beyond sports. Is his background being a sports executive? Technically, yes, but really as a businessman. The company also runs lots of random things related to venues and non-sports events.

Also, again, the company was simply a stakeholder in the Lakers. So I again wonder why anyone believes this has any impact on going after Jackson? If he somehow decided to come here, I can't fathom that this would be the reason why. Off the top of my head, there's a situation in Charlotte with his best ex-player as an owner just waiting for someone competent to right the ship. And Jackson has said he'd like a situation where he gets to put his stamp on thigns and help develop a whole organization.

Also pointing out time in Denver and Minnesota is not a plus. Minnesota was a joke until they landed Garnett....Denver was a joke pretty much all through the 90s.

I just keep wondering why people think this is a strong basketball-related hire? Strong general hire? Maybe. But I really see nothing to suggest this guy has any special knowledge of the NBA. He's probably closer to owners and CEOs than he is to players, managers and coaches...in all sports.

Phil Jackson would be awesome to have as GM of the Toronto Raptors or as head coach, if he's the GM, he will most likely hire either Sam Cassell or Brian Shaw, we would love to see a triangle offense type of style for this team.

Jackson would make DeRozan instantly better, could be Heir Jordan or Heir Kobe as opposed to Heir VC.
Rudy Gay ain't no Scottie Pippen but he can be better scorer
Amir Johnson is no Horace Grant but he can be a better defender
Kyle Lowry is a lot better than John Paxon and BJ Armstrong
Jonas Valanciunas ain't Shaq but he can be a better scorer and hit the open jump shot
Bargnani will be traded along with T-Ross under Phil Jackson possibly for some key backup veterans

This is an implied president title, not GM.. Phil would hire his own GM (most likely) and would have a say on who the coach would be.. I believe Phil would have a better vision for the team, but saying that Phil has no executive experience. So it could turn out badly.

The thing I like about Phil as President is that he can bring some credibility back to the Raptors, something that Colangelo (in my opinion) was unable to do. The Raptors need to become relevant and hiring someone that a lot of people respect in the basketball community can only be a good thing (again in my opinion).